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Electroconductive hydrogels offer a promising avenue for enhancing the repair efficacy of spinal cord injuries (SCI) by restoring disrupted electrical signals along the spinal cord's conduction pathway. Nonetheless, the application of hydrogels composed of diverse electroconductive materials has demonstrated limited capacity to mitigate the post-SCI inflammatory response. Recent research has indicated that the transplantation of M2 microglia effectively fosters SCI recovery by attenuating the excessive inflammatory response. Exosomes (Exos), small vesicles discharged by cells carrying similar biological functions to their originating cells, present a compelling alternative to cellular transplantation. This investigation endeavors to exploit M2 microglia-derived exosomes (M2-Exos) successfully isolated and reversibly bonded to electroconductive hydrogels through hydrogen bonding for synergistic promotion of SCI repair to synergistically enhance SCI repair. In vitro experiments substantiated the significant capacity of M2-Exos-laden electroconductive hydrogels to stimulate the growth of neural stem cells and axons in the dorsal root ganglion and modulate microglial M2 polarization. Furthermore, M2-Exos demonstrated a remarkable ability to mitigate the initial inflammatory reaction within the injury site. When combined with the electroconductive hydrogel, M2-Exos worked synergistically to expedite neuronal and axonal regeneration, substantially enhancing the functional recovery of rats afflicted with SCI. These findings underscore the potential of M2-Exos as a valuable reparative factor, amplifying the efficacy of electroconductive hydrogels in their capacity to foster SCI rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the effects of disclosing the actual number of participants in innovation contests with endogenous stochastic entry. We model innovation contests as a two-bidder all-pay auction with complete information, but in which each bidder has to incur a private cost to participate. The contest organizer observes solvers' participation decisions ex post and can commit ex ante to either fully disclosing or concealing the number of participating solvers. We characterize the equilibrium behavior of the solvers and compare the performances of the disclosure policies by four criteria. We find that full concealment dominates full disclosure in terms of expected total bid and expected winner's bid. Full concealment is dominated by full disclosure in terms of prize allocation efficiency and solvers' welfare. These findings are in sharp contrast to those under exogenous entry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]